Blower unit



Feb. 2, 1960 A. GALABA BLOWER UNIT Filed 001;. 28. 1957 WIIIIIA INVENTOR. 14XAN0GALA8A Arron/ 575 BLOWER UNIT Alexander Galaba, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Morrison Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application October 28, 1957, Serial No. 692,776

2 Claims. (Cl. 230-117) This invention relates to blowers of the kind having a United States Patent driving motor comprising stator and rotor members embodied therein and whose impeller is direct-connected with the rotor member to be driven thereby.

An object of the invention is to provide a blower unit of this character having novel means for cushionably and non-rotatably supporting the stator member of the driving motor in a-practical and trouble-free manner.

Another object is to provide a blower unit in which the stator member of the driving motor has a shaft portion 'engaged in and nonrotatably held by a metal reinforcement of a cushioning support member, the shaft portion preferably also having shoulder means engageable with the reinforcement for preventing axial shifting of the stator member.

Still another object is to provide such a blower unit with novel stator mounting means comprising a shaft portion extending through and beyond the metal reinforcement and the cushioning member, and a cover member secured to the reinforcement and having a hollow body portion into which the outer end of the shaft 'porti on extends, the

shaft portion preferably being 'hollow such that power Fig. 3 is a larger-scale fragmentaryend elevation show-' ing the stator supporting and holding means with a portion thereof in section, the view being taken as indicated by the directional line 33 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical axial section taken on section line 44 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the metal-reinforced cushioning member in detached relation and with the stator shaft removed from the noncircular opening of the metal rein forcement thereof.

The accompanying drawing shows the present inven-' tion applied to a blower unit 10 which, in general, comprises a housing 11, an impeller 12 operable in the hous' ing, and a driving motor 13 located within the impeller.

The housing 11 is a conventional scroll-type housing of the kind usually provided in centrifugal blowers and composed air inlet openings 18 and 19 located respectively in the end walls 14 and 15. Cooperating portions of the walls 14, 15 and 16 form a discharge nozzle 20 on the housing 11 for the delivery of air therethrough from the blower unit.

The impeller 12 is of a conventional form comprising a pair of end rings 22 and 23 and an annular. group of.

blades 24 extending between and connected with the end rings. The impeller 12 also includes a radially inwardly extending annular mounting and driving flange 25 which is suitably connected with the. blades 24 at the approximate mid-point of the axial length of the impeller.

The driving motor 13 comprises cooperating coaxially disposed rotor and stator members 26 and 27 of which the rotor member 26 is disposed in a surrounding relation to the stator member 27. The rotor member 26 is formed by the outer housing 28 of the motor 13 and includes a suitable armature structure 29 located in the housing and rotatable therewith. The stator member 27 comprises a suitable field structure 30 mounted on a shaft 31 which extends coaxiall'y'through the housing 28 and has end portions 32 projecting from the latter at opposite ends thereof. The housing 28 contains, suitable bearings by which it is rotatably mounted on the shaft 31.

The motor housing 28 is provided with an external, an-

nular radial flange 33 at an intermediate point thereof 7 and to which the flange 25 of the impeller 12 is connected, as by means of bolts or the like 34, for rotatably supporting and driving the impeller. The driving motor 13 can be of any appropriate size suitable for'the power requirements of the impeller 12 and is here shown as being located wholly within the impeller and with 'its shaft portions 32 ext-ending in opposite directions toward the air inlet opening 18 and 19 in a substantially coaxial relation thereto.

The driving motor 13 and the impeller lz are supported in the blower housing 11 by a pair of supporting brackets 36 mounted on the end walls 14 and 15 and extending into the air inlet openings 18 and 19 for supporting and holding cooperation with the shaft portions or projections 32 of the stator member 27. The brackets 36 are here shown as being of a spiderlikeform, each comprising a substantially flat central support plate 38 and a group of mounting arms 39, in this case three such arms, extending radially outwardly from the central plate and suitably attached to an end wall of the blower housing as by means of bolts or the like 40. The support arms 39 can be formed entirely by projecting portions .ofthe central plate 38 but, as here shown, are formed 1 in part by lug projections 38a of the central plate and in part by extension members 38b connected to the lugs 38a as by welding.

.Each of thebrackets 36 also include a cushioning and holding member 41 for cushionably supporting and nonrotatably holding one of the shaft portions 32 of the a stator member 27. The member 41 comprises a'cushioning body 42 having a central axial opening 43 through which the shaft portion 32 extends and a metal reinforcement 44 connected with, or embodied in, the cushioning 'body'. The metal reinforcement 44 is preferably in the form of a disk-like plate having a noncircular central 6 opening 45 therein which is in a coaxial relation to the opening 43'of the cushioning body 42.

The shaft projection 32 is provided adjacent the end thereof with flat surfaces 46 on opposite sides thereof such that the cross-sectional form of the end portion 47 of the shaft projection is of a noncircular shape corresponding with the noncircular shape of the opening 45 of the reinforcing plate 44. The noncircular end 47 of they shaft projection 32 is engaged in the noncircular opening 45 of the reinforcing plate 44, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, such that the stator member 27 of the driving motor 13 will be cushionably'supported and nonrotatably held while the reaction effect between the stator and rotor members causes rotation of the rotor member 26 for driving the like, which will yieldably and cushionably support the V stator member 27 such as to absorb noisesand vibration incident to the operation of the motor 13 and the driving of the impeller .12 by thelatterr The reinforcing plate ioning member will-be applied thereto at distributed points .with a minimum amount of resulting wear and distortion of the cushioning member; The cushioning member 42 will accordingly have along useful life and will not re-.

member 27, in this instance the shaft projection on the quine frequent replacement, nor will the wear and dis tortion of thecushioning member be sufficient to produce any serious misalignment of the impeller 12.

In addition to nonrotatably supporting the shaft pro- ,jection 32 and distributing the load of the latter to various points of the cushioning member 42, the reinforcing member 44 also serves to limit the axial shifting of the stator member 27 0f the driving motor 13 under the reaction force whichproduces rotation of the rotor member 26. For this purpose, the shaft projection 32 is provided with shoulder means 48 which is engageable.

with the reinforcing member 44 as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. The shoulder means 48 is here shown as being formed by segments of the cylindrical shaft 31 which project radially beyond the flat sides 46 of the no-ncircular end portion 47 of the shaft.

The cushioning member 42 can be suitably mounted in the central plate portion 38 of the associated supporting bracket 36 as by providing such plate portion with an opening 49, in which a portion of the cushioning member is engaged. The cushioning member is nonrotatably held by the plate portion 38 of the bracket by means of an interlock provided therebetween and which, ,in. this instance, is shown as comprising cooperating key and keyway elements, 51 and 52. The key eIementsHSI are here .shown as beingradial lug projections located at circum ferentially spaced points on the outside of the cushioning member 42, and the keyway elements 52.are outward radial extensions of the central opening 49 and located .at circumferentially spaced points around the latter. The

cushioning member 42 is preferably alsoprovided with right end of the stator member, is hollow and has an axial passage 61 therein to accommodate wires or the like 62 extending to the field structure 30 of the stator member. The wires 62 extend to the shaft projection 32 through the chamber57 of the cover member 55 and through conduit means 63 connected with the cover member. The conduit means 63 is here shown as comprising a flexible conduit 63a which is connected with the cover member 55 by being suitably attached to the projecting stem portion 64 of a coupling member .65. This coupling member includes a transverse base 66 located in the cover member 55. t

From the accompanyingdrawing and the foregoing detailed description, it will now be readily understood that this invention provides a blower unit of a practical form in which the stator member of an interiorly located driving motor is cushionably and nonrotatably supported in such a manner that the stator member will not only be held against axial shifting but the vibrations and thrust loads of the stator shaftwill be transmitted to the yieldg the stator shaft for housingthe same and for concealing and protecting electrical wires or the, like through which power mediumis supplied to the driving moton.

Although the novel blower unit and the stator support means of the present invention have been illustrated and described herein to a somewhat detailed extent, it will be understoodyof course, that the invention is not {to be re-,

garded asbeinglimited correspondingly in scopebut includes all changes and modifications coming within the terms of the claims hereof.

Having describedmy invention, I claim: 1 In a blower, unit; a housinghaving walls including end walls provided. with air inlet. openings; at bladed impeller rotatable in saidhousing; a motor within; said thereof; said shaft projections having noncircular holding cover member .55 which is secured to the reinforcing member.44 as by means of suitable screws 56. The cover member 55 is shown inthedrawing as applied only to the right hand end of the shaft 31 but, if desired,

such a cover member can be used at both ends of the shaft. 7

. The cover member '55 comprises a hollow cylindrical body portion 55a providing an axial chamber 57 for the outer end 47 of the shaft projection 32, and a circular end flange 58 received in a circular axial recess 59 of the,

cushioning member 42 and through which the connecting screws 56 extend. The screws 56 have their inner ends ing member 42.

' QAt least one of the shaftprojections. 32 oftbestator portions thereon and shoulder elements adjacent said noncircular portions; bracketson fsaid endtwalls; and yieldable members supp rted by saidhrackets and pro: vided with metal reinforcements; said brackets comprising a central plate portion having radially andaxially extending lug means thereon, and extension members secured to said end walls and extending into said air inlet openings andfhavi'ng said Iluggmeans attached thereto; said yieldable members and said reinforcements being substantially disk-like and having central openings therein; said openings in -said reinforcements being .noncircular and coaxial with said openings in said yieldable members; said holding portions being engaged in said :noncircular openings for fcushionably. and nonrotatabl-y supporting said stator member, and said shoulder elements being abuttable with said reinforcements for limiting axial shifting of saidstator member; said lug means and said extensionumembers having a combined axial length which locates .said plate portions andreinforcements. immediately adjacent the end portions ofsaid rotor member; said central plate portions of said brackets portions; said yieldable members being supported in said central openings in said plate portions of said brackets and said yieldable members being nonrotatably positioned by lugs thereon in cooperating engagement with said extension portions of said openings in said plate portions; one of said shaft projections being hollow and having the end portion thereof extending through and beyond one of said yieldable members; a cover secured to the reinforcement of said one yieldable member and having a hollow body portion into which said end portion extends; and power supply means connected with said cover for supplying power medium to said motor through said hollow body portion and hollow shaft projection.

2. In a blower unit; a housing having walls including end walls provided with air inlet openings; a bladed impeller rotatable in said housing; a motor within said impeller and comp-rising inner and outer coaxial stator and rotor members, of which said rotor member has end portions and is substantially interiorly located with respect to said impeller; said rotor member being connected with said impeller to drive the latter and said stator member having shaft projections at opposite ends thereof; said shaft projections having noncircular holding portions thereon and shoulder elements adjacent said noncircular portions; brackets on said end walls; and yieldable members supported by said brackets and provided with metal reinforcements; said brackets comprising a central plate portion having radially and axially extending lug means thereon, and extension members secured to said end walls and extending into said air inlet openings and having said lug means attached thereto;

substantially disk-like and having central openings therein; said openings in said reinforcements being noncircular and coaxial with said openings in said yieldable members; said holding portions being engaged in said noncircular openings for cushionably and nonrotatably supporting said stator member, and said shoulder elements being abuttable with said reinforcements for limiting axial shifting of said stator member; said central plate portions of said brackets being provided with central openings having extension portions; said yieldable members being supported in said central openings in said plate portions of said brackets and said yieldable members being nonrotatably positioned by lugs thereon in cooperating engagement with said extension portions of said openings in said plate portions; one of said shaft projections being hollow and having the end portion thereof extending through and beyond one of said yieldable members; a cover secured to the reinforcement of said one yieldable member and having a hollow body portion into which said end portion extends; and power supply means connected with said cover for supplying power medium to said motor through said hollow body portion and hollow shaft projection.

v References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,482,847 Godman Sept. 27, 1949 2,776,088 Wentling Jan. 1, 1957 2,780,826 Coons et a1 Feb. 12, 1957 2,830,752 Wentling Apr. 15, 1958 

